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Rodriguez, do I seem like the kind of woman who messes with people?”

“I plead the fifth,” she joked before leaning down and kissing her. “Where should we go?”

“It’s too bad we can’t just throw a dart at a map,”

Carmela replied, unable to confess that she didn’t care where they went as long as she got to spend more time alone with her but without the crushing responsibilities of home. Those would come back soon enough.

“There must be an app for that,” Rhiannon replied as she pulled her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and settled next to Carmela so they could both see the screen.

A minute later, Carmela was impressed to discover a website dedicated to randomly selecting travel destinations.

“Can you minimize by air travel? I don’t want to spend all our time flying,” she said, pointing to a filter on the app.

Rhiannon pressed the phone to her chest to cover the screen. “Do you trust me?” she asked, her eyes darting as she studied Carmela’s face.

The question detonated Carmela’s nervous system. How much more could she trust her? She was already doing a high wire act over shark infested waters with nothing but Rhiannon’s assurance that she wouldn’t let her drop to her death.

“It depends on why you’re asking,” Carmela replied hesitantly.

Rhiannon smiled her crocodile smile, which only increased Carmela’s apprehension. “You either trust me or you don’t. Which is it, Bravo?”

The lump in her throat was in competition with the thrill twisting in her stomach. “I suppose I trust you a little.”

“Then throw me your driver’s license and finish packing while I make arrangements,” she replied with a devilish

grin.

Much to Carmela’s surprise, she gave Rhiannon what she wanted and didn’t ask a single question about where they were going. Instead, she headed to the other room and called Brandy the Receptionist. Without a moment’s hesitation, Brandy agreed to let her forward all her calls and emails for the next few days.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

AFTER RHIANNON TALKED the resort sta into letting them wash their clothes in their industrial machines, they drove to the airport in Miami. The three-hour flight to Puerto Rico was smooth and the glowing capital city breathtaking as they arrived in the late evening.

The hotel Rhiannon picked was a small, bright green, three-story structure in the middle of similarly bright-colored Spanish style buildings connected to each other along a narrow cobblestone street no car could fit through. It was so di erent than the posh Key West resort that Rhiannon was relieved when Carmela fell in love with its quaint charm instead of being disappointed.

Carmela’s approval was nowhere as shocking as the fact that she’d left her cellphon

e in her bag and only glanced at it once a day. It inspired Rhiannon to text her parents and tell them she was going to be out of cell range for a few days and wouldn’t be checking in. After some guilt-tripping from her mother, she agreed to give them the contact information for the hotel, but they could only use it in case of life-threatening emergency.

Their room was small but boasted a lovely little sun deck overlooking a verdant courtyard with colorful flowering plants and a small reflecting pool. The first two days they

barely went outside of walking range. With so many restaurants, little shops, and historic sites nearby, there was no need to venture further.

Rhiannon noticed that Carmela hadn’t mentioned her birthday again. She’d picked up on her real apprehension about turning forty. It made zero sense to Rhiannon, who didn’t see the big deal. Carmela was absolutely stunning, and her body was flawless. How could another year matter so much?

In stolen moments behind her back, Rhiannon planned what she hoped would be an epic birthday surprise.

“Do you want to try that little Asian fusion place we saw this morning?” Carmela asked as she slipped on a flowing white dress that looked radiant against her newly tanned skin.

Rhiannon gazed at her from her reclined position on the bed, mesmerized by her drying her hair with a towel until she stopped and looked back at her. A knowing smile formed on her lips.

“Are you even listening to me?” Carmela asked as she padded to her in bare feet.

“Uh huh,” she replied, staring up at Carmela’s sun-kissed cheeks as she climbed onto the bed and hovered over her.“Then what did I say?” she challenged, her dark eyes scanning Rhiannon’s face before settling on her lips.

“You want to visit Asia next,” Rhiannon joked before giving in to temptation and pulling Carmela into a kiss.

The minty flavor of freshly brushed teeth overpowered her senses as she tugged at the hem of Carmela’s dress and lifted it up to her waist. For a single, glorious moment, Carmela indulged her, letting her run her hands over her skin without limits. When Rhiannon’s hands slipped